LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego (4-0) kept its season-opening win streak alive Saturday afternoon with a 73-55 victory over Navy (0-3) inside LionTree Arena.
Bryce Pope netted a game-leading 20 points in the afternoon, with
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones closely behind with 19 points.
Francis Nwaokorie was an x-factor, scoring 15 points and collecting a game-high 7 rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
An early timeout following six unanswered Navy points proved to be a quick fix for the Tritons, who scored 10 unanswered points of their own in just three minutes. Tight defense on both ends translated to an equally tight scoreline in the first half.
Nevertheless,
J'Raan Brooks still found the opportunity to knock down a three to take back the lead midway through the half. Nwaokorie joined in with a contested three and powerful dunk to give the Tritons a bit of breathing room with a 25-19 lead; UC San Diego did not give up the lead after this point.
The Triton defense was unrelenting against a persistent Navy offense. UC San Diego allowed just nine Midshipmen shots in the net, resulting in a 33.3% field goal percentage for the visitors. The Tritons collected 14 of these missed shots, as well as 4 on the other end. Nwaokorie led the team with six rebounds at the halfway mark.
Nwaokorie and Pope headed the charge in front of the basket with eight points each — followed closely behind by Tait-Jones' seven and Brooks' six — that gave the hosts a 31-25 advantage heading into halftime; 15 of these points came from the three-pointers.
Pope got things going in the second half with a dagger three-pointer in the opening minutes of the period. The senior followed this up with a logo three to break the Tritons past the 50-point mark.
The Tritons tightened up their shooting in the second half, shooting 10% better from the field and 19% better from the line. This discipline was reflected on the scoresheet as they secured their biggest lead of the game at 20 points, 73-53, with 2:30 remaining.
Tait-Jones exemplified this effort with his perfect field goal percentage that included two rebounded tip-ins.
Hayden Gray also shined with eight points in the second period, including a pair of skillful layups in the paint, that helped the Tritons distance themselves as time ran down.
UC San Diego continued its shutdown defense, at one point holding Navy scoreless for over five minutes; the Tritons also held the Midshipmen to the same 33.3% field goal scoring as the first half. The Tritons forced seven more turnovers, creating 15 of their 42 second-half points from such sequences.
TRITON TIDBITS
- With this 4-0 record, UC San Diego matches its best Division I era start, previously achieved in the 2021-22 season.
- Saturday was Military Appreciation Day with UC San Diego honoring military members in attendance.
- Head coach Eric Olen put in the same starting five as he has all season, who scored all but four of the Triton's points on Saturday.
- UC San Diego has played Navy once before, one year ago today in a game that ended in a tight 78-69 overtime loss for the Tritons.
- UC San Diego is offering a limited VIP mini-plan for $65 that includes a ticket to games against San Diego State (Dec. 1), Hawai'i (Jan. 20), and UC Riverside (Jan. 25). The plans can be purchased through the Triton Box Office.
- The Tritons wore their white uniforms on Saturday.
QUOTABLE
UP NEXT
The Tritons take to the skies next weekend for the first time this season. They will play a trio of games in Seattle, the first being a Friday matchup against Idaho at 3 p.m –
the first meeting in the two team's history.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
